Caffeine

I believe it may be subtly educational to newer members/lurkers, to see a moron's "opinions" shot down.

It also gathers respect from lurkers who may wish to join. I lurked a bit before registering here. When I saw how knowledgeable people are here, then I became somewhat fascinated and registered right then. If other intelligent, solid lurkers see idiots shot down then they'll see how we treat this place as a safe haven for rational thought and learning. They'll respect the place. We should be careful who and how we shoot others down, because we don't want to become elitist assholes who are too damn close-minded. That's unattractive for noobies (especially true newbs who wish to learn from scratch).

I hesitate to universalize my own embarrassing struggle with the need to be "liked," both on Facebook and elsewhere. I will, however, go so far as to say that there is something inherent in our shared human consciousness which pushes us to follow the herd, to court the favor of our peers and the powers-that-be, and otherwise to show ourselves worthy objects of admiration to the world. Yet there is also, I have found (and perhaps you have, too), a liberating, even deliriously intoxicating sense of release and relief that accompanies the conscious decision to forego such approval-seeking pursuits, and instead to fling oneself headlong into sheer, glorious disrepute. There is a delicious delight in ceasing to even try to be attractive or appealing to others, but rather to cutlivate a positive disdain for what the world in its foolishness deems to be "attractiveness"-- to jilt the Zeitgeist and all of its guardians, to hurl defiance into the teeth of all of the principalities and powers of the age, in the haughty manner of a prom queen, yet in the mien of a shabby, smelly, spat-upon, shat-upon outcaste; in short, to upset the balance of corruption and deceit in this world of naught.

Management expert Rosabeth Moss Kanter, writing in the Harvard Business Review, regarding self-defeating behaviors that ruin companies and careers, argues many leaders fail because of greed and selfishness; a lack of emotional self-control; and a lack of integrity and ethics. These behaviors and characteristics are certainly found more commonly in charismatic and extraverted leaders than in introverted leaders.

In my work with CEOs and other senior leaders in organizations, I’ve found invariably it’s the over-the-top charismatic extroverted leader who gets into trouble either personally or gets the organization into difficulty. So while there is a natural and historical attraction to the charismatic leaders who can inspire others with an emotional vision and connect with charm, the long-term impact in terms of relationships and execution becomes questionable.